Vocaloid x Ice Mountain Break free
by shn1010
Summary: Years have passed by and Hiyama Kiyoteru is no longer teaching grade school; He is the tutor for a middle school. His band "Ice Mountain" had broken up and he longed to bring it back to the way it was. However his band mates wish to go professional, which is not possible unless Kiyoteru quits his job. Would he rather live his dream or live a practical life?
1. Chapter 1

It was yet another restless night. Kiyoteru woke up from a nightmare and was half-asleep. After hurriedly getting up, he went to the bathroom and began brushing his teeth. Then he realized that it wasn't morning. After straightening his back, he looked in the mirror. Kiyoteru's face was no longer as youthful. He was growing older, after all.

As water burst out of the tap, Kiyoteru rinsed his face sparingly. He rubbed his eyes and retreated to the bedroom. The covers were warm enough yet weren't quite comfortable. Upon remembering that he hadn't checked the trigonometry test papers, Kiyoteru was about to get up but his tired body didn't allow him to do so.

When morning came he awoke and rose from bed.  
"What was I dreaming about last night?" he wondered

He sat at the small wooden desk and took out the stack.

"I can't believe Yuzuki didn't understand a thing…"

Kiyoteru was nearly asleep. He realized that he would only make mistakes if he continued like this and so fell asleep at the desk.

The alarm clock sounded and he prepared to go to middle school.

Hiyama Kiyoteru entered the class yet the students kept on talking. It was rather unusual. He picked up the duster and knocked it on the table until he lost his patience. Some of the students had looked his way and stood up.

"Okay class, today we will study algebra."

There was almost no strength in Kiyoteru's voice. As he gave the introduction, he continuously heard chattering from the left side of the classroom.

"Miss Yukuzi."

He turned around and saw her talking to Mayu.

"Both of you will get extra homework."

"But Mr. Hiyama, I have a test tomorrow."

"Do you ever study for tests?"

Then he returned to the board and began explaining.

"Do you have any questions?"

Flower raised her hand, along with Lui.

"Yes, Flower."

"I had some questions, when are you free?"

"I'm not feeling well today, how about tomorrow at noon?"

"Yes!"

Everyone looked at Flower in a peculiar manner. Kiyoteru crinkled his eyebrows.

"What was your question, Lui?"

At about lunch time, Kiyoteru felt his forehead which was burning hot. He set his rice aside and put his head down.

"Mr. Hiyama."

It was Utatane Piko.

"Do you think you could solve a problem for me?"

"I feel rather ill right now and I think I must go home now. I apologize."

"Are you alright?"

He stepped away from the desk and packed his lunchbox in his bag. The teacher felt dizzy while exiting the room.

The school was quite a big one and Kiyoteru accidently took a left turn and found himself in an outdoor basketball court. Len, one of the upperclassmen, was dribbling the ball while he looked far into the distance.

"Oh, sensei." He mumbled

Kiyoteru never taught Len as he came to middle school only a year ago and Len was in the eighth grade.

"Which way is the exit?" asked Kiyoteru

"I'll show you. Go straight down that path and make a right."

"Thank you."

Hiyama Kiyoteru crossed the street and located his home. While unlocking the door, his cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"It's me, Akito!"

"Yes."

"Natsuki has finished the baking course from abroad and he's coming back to Japan."

"Ok."

"Do you know what that means? Ice Mountain is coming back together! Hey dude, are you upset or something?"

"I'm sick today. Can we talk tomorrow?"

"Are you okay? Do you want me to visit you? We haven't talked in ages."

"Yeah, I'll leave the door open."

Kiyoteru took off his shoes and socks. He plopped onto the bed and tried to go to sleep. His eyes were closed but he was still awake.

Almost thirty minutes passed when Akito yelled, "I'm here!"

He heard the sound of someone trying to open the door.

"I brought you some medicine." He said, in a melodious tone

Akito sat on the bed and looked at Kiyoteru for a while before dashing into the kitchen.

"Where does he keep all of his pots and pans?" wondered Akito

"Akito…" said Kiyoteru, in a feeble tone

He heard the sound of the stove being used. Kiyoteru took about fifteen minutes of sleep. Though he wished to sleep more, Akito was here and he needed company. Also, someone needed to keep a close eye on him.

As he rose and sat while keeping the covers on, Akito walked in with oven mitts while holding a pot of soup and placed it on the table.

"You're awake."

Kiyoteru nodded and said, "Give me the medicine, would you?"

Akito handed him the medicine and raced to bring him a glass of water. He really hadn't changed much since their university years.

After taking the medicine, he gulped down the glass of water.

Kiyoteru said, "Now what were you saying again?"

Akito said, "Huh?"

"On the phone…?"

"Natsuki will be back on Sunday. We're a bit rusty now so we'll have to practice. I'm thinking of quitting my job."

"What? Why? You've become the manager of the supermarket!"

"It's so that we can go pro, duh!"

"We're going to go pro?"

Kiyoteru tapped his fingers on the glass.

"Does that mean I'll have to quit as well?"  
"We'll wait and see."

"That's quite impractical."

Akito looked at Kiyoteru with a strange expression.

"Since when does 'Ice Mountain' follow the rules?"

"But, I still believe…"

"You've changed your way of thinking, haven't you? It was your dream, remember? Besides, we don't need that much money; all of us are still single."

Kiyoteru was thinking about how high the apartment rent had gone up, but he still wanted to agree with Akito.

"How are Tohma and Haruto?"

"They're still teaching the primary school. There seems to be no hope of a promotion."

He wondered what lead him to become promoted whereas Tohma and Haruto were still doing the same thing.

"Alright, I'll practice as soon as my throat feels better."

"It should heal by Sunday. If not, we'll postpone the date of practice."

"Okay."

"Have some soup. I made it just now."

"But you were a terrible cook!"

"I've improved!"

Kiyoteru carefully tasted the soup. It wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. The only fault he could find was that it was rather bland.

After finishing the soup, the two discussed their lives and their work.


	2. Chapter 2

When his fever got better, Kiyoteru returned to school. The thought of having to enter the classroom again made him uneasy. Despite being a renowned grade school teacher, something must have changed over the years. But he couldn't tell whether it was his passion to teach that had died away or if he simply needed to take some rest and start anew.

"I can't do this anymore." He mumbled. "They all hate me."

As he was about to go in, Kiyoteru took a few steps back.

A voice was heard, "It is Mr. Hiyama's class now, is it not?"

"It must be Aoki Lapis."

"Thank goodness he's not here."

Though he wished to be frozen in place instead Kiyoteru walked in right at that moment.

"Class."

Everyone returned to their designated seats except for Merli.

"Mr. Hiyama, I'm…"

"Go back to your seat."

His voice was harsh though it was not intended.

Kiyoteru took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes before saying, "I've decided to give you some time before the test. We should review trigonometry a bit more."

The class was still silent. It made him almost twitch to think that they could not even solve middle school trigonometry.

"Akikoloid, could you please bring the papers from my desk?"

She simply nodded and ran out of the room.

"Trigonometry is mainly about practice. If we solve enough problems, there won't be any trouble."

Flower yelled from the back seat, "I can't take it anymore!"

Everyone turned immediately. They all had fierce expressions.

"Flower, if you dare tell him there'll be no tomorrow for you!" said Kokone

"Why? It's so unfair!"

"I'll tell him."

It was Oliver. Piko nodded.

"You see Mr. Hiyama, they're trying to fail the test so that they can get rid of you."

Everyone was stunned.

"Well, it's not like you all would have passed the test anyway."

Kiyoteru could feel how angry they truly were. Not wishing to rephrase his sentence, he simply took the papers from Akikoloid how was standing outside the entire time. Then he gave out the worksheets and returned to his desk.

"Do you people know how to use your calculators or cross multiply?"

Yuzuki almost blurted something. Then he took his marker and began explaining how to cross multiply.

Then Piko said, "Oh..."

"Didn't your grade school teach you all of this?"  
"Well, no."

"Ah, I see. Go back to your seat, Akikoloid."

As the class ended, Kiyoteru called up Akito. There was no answer. Kiyoteru could not help but feel frustrated. Natsuki was supposed to return to Japan on that day and he did not have his phone number. He slowly paced towards home. Upon unlocking the door, he dashed to the freezer for iced coffee. It seemed to calm him but it lead to many sleepless nights.

After plugging the cell phone in the wall socket to charge, Kiyoteru turned the water on and began taking a shower. The water was almost burning his skin but he did not bother reducing the temperature. It was relaxing and that was all that mattered.

The phone began ringing. Surely it was Akito.

"Damn you, Akito!" said Kiyoteru, aloud

After the ringing stopped, Kiyoteru took a towel and wrapped it around himself. There was a beep of a text message.

_I'm picking up Natsuki from the airport. After he lands, we'll head over to your place. _

_~ Akito_

Kiyoteru quickly tried to reply.

_Why don't you pick up Tohma and Haruto as well?_

For about two minutes, there was no reply. The beep sounded again.

_Good idea!_

_~Akito_

Kiyoteru quickly put his clothes on. It had been forever since he wore such casual clothes. It was as though he was feeling younger already. He sat and waited. After a quick glance at the clock and his watch, Kiyoteru began practicing his low and high notes. It ended in a cough. How would he sing again?

He heard talking outside the door. Kiyoteru opened the door as soon as Tohma pressed the button of the doorbell.

"Teru!" said Natsuki

"You haven't changed a bit, Natsuki!"

It seemed that he had only grown taller.

"How are you?" said Haruto

"I'm fine."

"It's nice to see you again after so much time." Said Tohma

"Come in." said Kiyoteru

Akito darted to the couch and put his feet up on the table. This used to agitate Kiyoteru six or seven years ago, but now it was fine. Natsuki and Haruto quietly sat down on chairs and Tohma remained standing. It was such a small apartment.

Tohma began saying, "Well, our band previously broke up for very silly matters. I'm sure we've all been practicing our instruments during these years. I think we can do this."

Natsuki said, "We'll top the charts!"

Tohma looked at Natsuki in an irritated manner. He did not falter though.

"So, when will be our next jam session? Said Haruto

"Soon, I hope. Along with our old songs, I think we should compose some new ones as well."  
Their discussion ended abruptly. Natsuki began telling stories of his experience in France. He also talked about how he brought many souvenirs for them. He would give them as soon as he finished unpacking.

Akito asked Natsuki about how the girls there were and Natsuki said that there was a very nice girl who was his classmate. Akito was rather perplexed by this reply but said nothing.

As lunch time approached, they all except for Tohma went to the kitchen and observed Kiyoteru's cooking.

"Will you all quit staring at me?"

They burst into laughter. Akito's laugh was rather obnoxious. Tohma had to go and call them.

The cooking was all done in a short time. Kiyoteru placed the noodles on the table. The members of Ice Mountain all acted as though they had been starving for days. Kiyoteru was shocked.

"Don't you guys eat?" He said

"I didn't have breakfast. Cut me some slack." Said Akito

Natsuki began chewing very slowly and ate very little. Haruto and Tohma continued eating like pigs. Haruto talked about how there was a restaurant which served the best noodles ever. Akito commented that Haruto should take them all there one day.

They all left after eating. It confused Kiyoteru quite a bit.

"Bye, Teru! See you later!" said Natsuki

They all said bye and Kiyoteru wondered whether they just came over to eat.


	3. Chapter 3

There came a day when all the parents had complained against Kiyoteru. He couldn't speak for quite some time when he heard the news. Though Kiyoteru knew it would come one day, he had no idea it would come so soon. He looked fixedly at the floor, breathing heavily. Then Kiyoteru looked at the principal, Mr. Takekawa.

"I'll quit as soon as you find a replacement." Said Kiyoteru

"Well Mr. Hiyama… I was planning on firing you anyway."

Even after being such a remarkable elementary school teacher, teaching middle school students seemed to be impossible. After he came to middle school, Haruto had gotten jealous and started hating Kiyoteru and of course Tohma took Haruto's side. Akito and Natsuki were confused at first but soon they had complaints against the other members as well. Then Natsuki decided to take a break and go abroad. Ice Mountain fell apart after that.

Thoughts began to flood his mind and Kiyoteru suddenly broke the silence and yelled, "I should have just been an elementary school teacher!"

Mr. Takekawa said, "Then you go back to your elementary school!"

Mr. Hiyama clenched his fist and picked up his folder from the principal's desk. He jerked from his chair and walked away as fast as he could. After rushing to the teacher's lounge he looked at the clock, waiting for mathematics class. The other teachers didn't even talk to him. That wasn't unusual though.

The piercing noise of the electric bell sounded. For some reason, Kiyoteru lost his energy. He dragged himself to the classroom. At first, he thought there were a few students. But there seemed to be only one.

"Mr. Hiyama." Said Flower

"Where is everyone?" said Kiyoteru

"Well, you see…"

"It doesn't even matter anymore. I'm quitting anyway."

"What?"

Her eyes glistened a little and she swallowed her spit. Flower stroked her arm before dashing out of the room.

Kiyoteru began to tremble. Did no one show him any respect? Everyone hated him for no reason. He was only strict so that they'd do better results. He only wanted the best for his students.

"Then why…?"

His head was down as Kiyoteru walked down the stairs. Then he climbed back again, remembering something.

Upon reaching his desk, he looked at his belongings. There was a picture of him with his elementary students on his last day. There was Oliver, his brightest student and Kaai Yuki, the hardest working. Kiyoteru didn't even know what became of them. They were probably in the fifth grade by now. That was the only thing that was on his desk that belonged to him. The rest were all piles of homework, tests, lesson plans and report cards. He took the photo with him and walked down the stairs.

The students were all downstairs while they seemed to be surrounding Flower. The chattering noises stopped. They avoided eye contact with Mr. Hiyama but he said nothing and walked on.  
"Freedom is what I want." Thought Mr. Hiyama

"No one will ever respect me anyway."

He went home and sat on a chair. Kiyoteru thought he'd watch some television but had the sudden urge to check his cell phone. Perhaps the school would call.

There were two missed calls.

"Maybe they want me back." Thought Kiyoteru

Kiyoteru phoned using the unknown number.

"Kiyoteru, where are you?" said a familiar voice

"Is this Tohma?"

"No, I'm Haruto. Tohma phoned you earlier. We're at Akito's house right now."

"Tell him we don't have a vocalist!"

"And…"

"I'm coming. Hold on."

It had been forever since Kiyoteru had been to Akito's house. As he was walking, Kiyoteru thought he might lose his way but the road seemed so familiar. He found the location rather quickly. Kiyoteru rang the doorbell and Akito's mother answered. Kiyoteru found it strange that Akito was still living with his parents.

"Kiyoteru, it's been such a long time! You've changed so much."

Indeed, Akito's mother had also changed a lot. He walked to the bedroom and knocked the door.

"Teru!" said Natsuki

"Finally you're here!" said Tohma

"Yeah man, it's about time!" said Akito

He went into the room and felt out of place. Kiyoteru was wearing formal clothes, even a tie.

"Now let's practice." Said Tohma

"Uh-oh." Said Natsuki

"What?"

"I forgot to bring my drums."

"Oh!"

Tohma slapped himself in the face and Akito hit his fist on the table.

Haruto said, "I knew something was wrong."

Then Akito raced out and grabbed his car keys.

"Let's go."

Only Kiyoteru seemed to be confused. It suddenly felt like the old days again. Only now Akito had a car.

They found Akito standing outside, stamping his feet on the ground. The car was a hideous green. He unlocked the door and everyone got inside. They all rushed to the back seat, leaving Natsuki in the front seat. It was a small car and it was difficult to even accommodate the three of them in the back.

Tohma said, "Natsuki, you're tiny! Switch seats with me."

Natsuki looked back and then on the floor. It was as though he didn't hear him.

Haruto said, "I should have brought my car."

"Then why didn't you?" they cried in unison

"Okay guys, let's go!"  
It was not like Akito was driving a car; it was more like they were all riding a speedboat. They were all yelling at the top of their voices. Kiyoteru was actually laughing in delight.

Tohma said, "Don't cross the speed limit!"

Akito said, "I'm not!"

They were driving aimlessly until Natsuki asked where they were going. Then Akito turned the car around and headed to Natsuki's place. A policeman appeared out of nowhere and Akito lowered the speed.

Natsuki said, "That's a relief."

However as soon as the policeman was out of sight the roller coaster ride started again.

"Whoa!" cried Akito

He nearly veered the car into a lamppost.

"You're an idiot!" snarled Tohma

Kiyoteru looked at Haruto who seemed to be having a mini heart attack.

"Are you okay?" said Kiyoteru

Haruto yelped in fear before curling into a ball. The car braked and they nearly flew out of their seats.

"We're here." Announced Akito

It was a rather cozy and quaint apartment. In fact it did not feel like an apartment at all: it was more like a cottage. The curtains, the furniture and even the floor reminded one of a small house.

"My drums are here." Said Natsuki, leading them into the bedroom

Even though it was old, they still looked new. The drum set was probably cleaned on a regular basis.

"Now how do we bring it…?" said Kiyoteru

"Play something for us!" said Akito

"Are you serious?" said Kiyoteru

Natsuki took his drumsticks and began playing an eight beat song.

"You must be practicing." Said Haruto

"That's it! Take the drum set to Akito's house!"

Natsuki said, "Did you and Tohma exchange souls or something? Speaking of which, where is Tohma?"

They began searching for him. Where could he have disappeared to?

"Tohma!" said Natsuki

He was holding a glass of water.

"Thank goodness you're safe."

Natsuki came and went to hug Tohma when he remarked that Natsuki was like a little girl. Then the unexpected happened.

"Calm down Natsuki!" said Haruto

Natsuki was about to punch Tohma but he got hold of Natsuki's fist. The glass broke.

"Oh dear, this is like my early twenties all over again!" said Haruto

Kiyoteru commanded Akito to clean up the mess while he and Haruto sort things out. Akito got a broom and a dustpan.

Tohma said, "Why you little…!"

Natsuki said, "What did I do?"

Haruto said, "Relax, guys."

They both looked at Haruto fiercely.

Kiyoteru said, "Tohma, you know that Natsuki hates being called a girl. And Natsuki, you're overreacting."

Haruto said, "Teru is right. Both of you apologize!"

"I guess I'm sorry." Said Natsuki

"It's okay. I'm sorry too."

After Natsuki smiled, Tohma seemed to smile too. Akito came in and said that they didn't have much time to practice. Tohma suggested that three of them help Natsuki carry the drum set and one goes with Akito. Haruto volunteered so Kiyoteru and Akito went by car. When they all reached Akito's house, the practice session began.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been months since Hiyama Kiyoteru had been practicing singing songs. His voice was much better now and he could sing in key. But the problem was that he had to pay the bills.

During one of their practice sessions, Tohma said that they were to audition for "VOCA! Entertainment".

Akito said, "Really? So fast?"

Tohma said, "We can't wait any longer."

Haruto nodded. Natsuki just looked at them blankly and Kiyoteru exhaled in relief.

They started the practice session and sang each of their songs. Tohma was trying to pick a song to sing at the auditions. It had to be appealing to the masses and show off each of their talents.

As soon as "If You Aren't here" started, Tohma knew it was the song that would make them winners.

The song stopped.

"Okay, this will be the song that we'll play at the audition." Said Tohma

"But I barely have a role in this song!" cried Haruto

"But you have a role, right?"

"Yes, but…"

"That is enough."

Haruto scowled. He comforted himself by thinking that he'd have a better role once they would get accepted.

After the practice was over, Tohma got his laptop and opened VOCA! Entertainment's website. He began to type in the registration details.

"What's your full name again, Haruto?" said Tohma

"Amane Haruto… What are you doing?"

"I'm registering us for the audition of course."

Natsuki gasped.

"You can't do that, Tohma! We've got a lot of practice to do." Said Haruto

And Tohma hit the "send" button.

"Done." Said Tohma

"Thank goodness." Said Kiyoteru

"We've got a month before the audition. From today onwards, we'll practice non-stop."

So they practiced. Day by day there didn't seem like there was much progress. But Tohma kept cheering them on.

It was finally the day of the audition. Everyone felt very nervous. Natsuki had a blackout in the morning. But Tohma told them not to be afraid. Surely they'd find a way if they didn't get accepted. There were other agencies after all.

"The next is… Ice Mountain." Said Ai Sora, the judge

There were five young men on the stage. Kiyoteru suddenly stopped panicking and had a calm mind.

"Ice Mountain will be performing an original song- If you aren't here." Said Kiyoteru

The crowd was cheering for some reason, especially the girls. Natsuki began counting down from three and the song started. Kiyoteru's voice was a bit shakier than usual. Surprisingly the judges didn't cut them off until the end. Natsuki made a mistake.

Everyone was cheering more than ever.

"Such energy! It was wonderful." Said Tatsumi

"Thank you!" said Kiyoteru, smiling

Each judge complimented them except they pointed out the nervousness in Kiyoteru's voice.

Their scores were- 8, 7.5 and 9 out of ten. This score was actually much better than that of others.

"Congratulations, you're in." said Tatsumi

"Yes!" cried Natsuki

They left the stage and had a group hug.

The auditions were over at the end of the day. The only other group that got in was ZOLA Project and The Twins. The rest were all individuals.

"Mr. Hiyama?" said Kagamine Len

"Oh. You were a student at my school, right?" said Kiyoteru

"You sing?"

"Yes, I've been singing for quite some time now. Well, how's middle school?"

"I've graduated. The students are in a mess now that you've left. The new math teacher is terrible."

"I'm sure he or she couldn't be as bad as I was."

And then he left to sign the contract. They assigned Kiyoteru as the leader even though they all insisted that they'd make Tohma the leader.

Then Ice Mountain released a new album. It was a compilation of their original songs. It sold a lot but not as well as VOCA! Entertainment hoped. However the money they received was good enough for Kiyoteru.

One day Tohma was looking at the comments on a video site. They didn't have any proper music videos the video just had their lyrics on the screen.

The comments were:

1\. The girl drummer is so cute! I can't get enough of her.

Reply: - It's a boy.

What:?

That comment had fifty one likes.

2\. Kiyoteru is super hot.

3\. GTK? Is the worst song ever.

That comment had eleven likes. Tohma got annoyed and turned the computer off.

After some days, they went to a CD signing. A girl gave Kiyoteru a papercraft version of himself. Then she left and someone else came in line.

"Mr. Hiyama." Said Flower

"Oh? You've become my fan as well?" said Kiyoteru

With her was Piko.

"Please come back." Said Piko

"But I thought you all hated me!" said Kiyoteru

"Next!" yelled someone

"I'll think about it." Said Kiyoteru

They left. Kiyoteru was confused. He was on the road to fame but people needed him. What he was to do?

It was night time. Kiyoteru looked at his desk. It was now completely empty of notes and homework. He had to face it- he really did miss teaching. It was a stable job too.

He loved mathematics. But he couldn't betray his friends now. So he called Akito. It was a last resort. He was probably asleep but no one else could cheer him up.

He opened his contact list and dialed Akito. No one was picking up. How agitating.

Kiyoteru looked at his contact list again and found Haruto's number. The two hadn't talked over the phone since the incident years ago. Perhaps it was a good time to patch things up. It actually wasn't a good time but he didn't think about it.

After dialing the number, Haruto received it almost immediately.

"Hello?" he said

"Hello, Haruto?" said Kiyoteru

"What happened? Are you alright?"

"Yes, why?"

"You called me at ten o' clock at night for no reason?"

"I just wanted to patch things up."

"I thought it was an emergency! Are you mad, Kiyoteru? You nearly scared me!"

"Ah. Well I just wanted to be good friends again."

Haruto chuckled.

He said, "But we are good friends already."

"Oh…" said Kiyoteru

"You are silly. Did you want to say anything else?"

"Well, I wanted to go back to teaching again. The kids wanted me back again."

"Really?"

And there was a long pause.

"Hello, Haruto?" said Kiyoteru

"I was thinking." Clarified Haruto

"It's a bad idea, right?"

"I'll think about it. We'll come up with a plan tomorrow."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Now get some sleep."

And Kiyoteru was finally able to sleep. He woke up quite late in the morning.


	5. Chapter 5

Kiyoteru's phone made a beep sound. It was what woke him up. He couldn't remember what he dreamed of last night but it seemed to be a pleasant dream.

_Let's all meet at my place at 4 pm. – _Haruto

After reading the text, Kiyoteru glanced at the clock. It was ten o' clock in the morning. Kiyoteru was used to waking up at six forty five. Not much time had passed since Kiyoteru got fired but already he was turning lazy. Then again it was a weekend.

He let out a big yawn and got out of bed.

At about one thirty, he prepared his lunch. It was simple rice, meat and vegetables. Kiyoteru gobbled the vegetables first despite however much he hated them. It seemed that some of his traits of being a teacher were still intact.

So after that, Kiyoteru sent a text to Haruto for his address. It took merely a few minutes for him to reply.

_222-1299 Toramonon Shiro. You can't miss it. – _Haruto

Kiyoteru was skeptical about Haruto's house being like a mansion. It was probably something much more ordinary. Besides, Haruto never showed off. In fact he appeared to be a bit of a miser.

It took him a while to find the house. It wasn't a mansion but it was bigger than an ordinary house and even the outside had expensive furnishings. Beyond the gate he could see a staircase leading to the main door. The walls had climbing flowers and an arch. There were so many trees. There even seemed to be a fountain in the distance. Kiyoteru thought his glasses were fogged. He could not help but wonder how much Haruto's father earned. They practically lived in a castle.

Kiyoteru read the address on the metal plate. It was correct. So he pressed the electric bell. Kiyoteru found it strange that the doorbell had such an ordinary sound. He was probably over thinking it.

A woman opened the door. She seemed to be young and old at the same time. It was difficult to guess her age. It could be Haruto's mother or his older sister. There was definitely a resemblance.

"You must be Haruto's friend! Come in." she said

Kiyoteru nodded while entering the gate. Haruto stood at the top of the stairs as if he was the ruler of Japan. His back was stiff and nose was flared. H was wearing a t-shirt and track pants which really seemed out of place. He was probably just relaxing at home. Kiyoteru was wearing a shirt with trousers but with no tie. It was a good thing that he skipped the tie.

"Don't just stand there! Come in." said Haruto

There was no choice but to climb the long flight of stairs. It was no wonder why Haruto was still so fit.

After reaching the top of the stairs, Haruto pushed Kiyoteru to his room. The inside of the house had white, large tables decorated with vases of flowers and candles.

"Nice house." Said Kiyoteru

"It's my dad's." said Haruto

They entered Haruto's room.

Kiyoteru said, "Is no one here yet?"

Haruto said, "You're here thirty minutes early."

There was a piano in the room. It wasn't a grand piano but Kiyoteru suspected that there was one in some other part of the house.

Kiyoteru remained silent for some time. Haruto got up and starting playing a song on the piano. It sounded sophisticated and the notes were sharp and clear.

"It's one of our new songs. I haven't got the lyrics yet." Said Haruto

"I have a problem, remember?" said Kiyoteru

"Right, right." Said Haruto, nodding

"Apparently the children are facing great difficulty."

"And they want you back? I see. There's something my father said to me. If there is an opportunity, grab it. Opportunities never come twice. "

"So are you telling me to stay?"

"Not necessarily. Look, there are bad teachers everywhere. We ourselves have dealt with bad teachers when we were young."

"Yes, that is true. And it's not like their results would improve if I started teaching again."

"You've got your answer."

But Kiyoteru could not help but think that his singing career wasn't a stable job. He grew more worried than before but decided to take the chance.

The door opened with great force. It was Tohma. His face was pale and he didn't make eye contact with either of them. He slammed the door behind him. Kiyoteru decided it would be best to leave him alone and not get involved.

Haruto and Kiyoteru talked for some time. They kept looking at Tohma every now and then.

Just after five minutes, someone knocked at the door.

"It's me, Natsuki."

"And Akito!"

"I brought cake so let us in." said Natsuki

Haruto silently laughed at that. He opened the door and Ice Mountain was back together.

They were all talking until Natsuki indirectly asked what was wrong with Tohma.

"Yeah Tohma. You're quieter than usual." Said Akito

"Well… The girl I loved recently got married." Said Tohma

"Oh. Who did she get married to?"

"Akito, you idiot!" said Haruto

Tohma stared down at the ground for quite some time. They continued talking.

"Don't worry Tohma, there are many girls in this world." Said Natsuki

"I don't want any other girl!"Said Tohma

The long silence was followed by Haruto shivering in a corner.

Haruto's mother brought in some food. It was sandwiches.

They ate the sandwiches and the vanilla cake.

While they were eating, Akito suddenly raised his spoon in the air.

He said, "I've got it, Tohma! The ultimate solution to your problem!"

"Calm down Akito." Said Tohma

"We'll fix a blind date for you!"

"That actually isn't a bad idea." Said Haruto with his chin in his hand

"You couldn't even arrange a date for yourself, Akito." Said Kiyoteru

"Keep quiet! Today's mission is to find a woman for Tohma."

"Since that girl moved on, so should you Tohma." Said Natsuki

Tohma smiled for a second. And Akito went back to eating.

"Please don't tell me you're going to ask girls completely randomly." Said Kiyoteru


End file.
